Perspectives, experiences, and choices of parents of children conceived following oocyte donation

Abstract

This paper reports on and discusses the findings of an online survey initiated by the Donor Sibling Registry of 108 parents of children conceived following oocyte donation. Respondents generally supported early disclosure of donor conception to the child, although some bias in favour of disclosure cannot be excluded, given the recruitment source. Even so, extensive uncertainty regarding the optimum time for disclosure was evident. Around half of the parents who had either expressly chosen (50.0%), or had been given no choice of, an anonymous donor (54.1%) subsequently wished they had used an open-identity donor. A total of 87% of respondents showed interest in identifying and making contact with their donor and with other families containing children sharing the same donor, and 19% had already made such contact. The survey revealed considerable variations in respondents' experiences of clinic practices regarding the availability of counselling, information provided about choice of donor type, advice regarding disclosure and the reporting of births, indicating keys areas for improved professional practice. This paper reports on and discusses the findings of an online survey initiated by the Donor Sibling Registry of 108 parents of children conceived following ooctye donation. Respondents generally supported early disclosure of donor conception to the child, although extensive uncertainty regarding the optimum time for disclosure was evident. Around half of the parents who had either expressly chosen, or had been given no choice of, an anonymous donor subsequently wished they had used an open identity donor. A number of respondents showed interest in identifying and making contact with their donor and with other families containing children sharing the same donor, and a minority had already made such contact. The survey revealed considerable variations in respondents' experiences of clinic practices regarding the availability of counselling, information provided about choice of donor type, advice regarding disclosure and the reporting of births, indicating keys areas for improved professional practice.